On a same mass basis, people who “struggle” or “stiffen” are oddly much easier to lift or carry than people who “relax” or “let go”, and i cannot understand why.
In: Biology
Because it is easier to balance and use more muscle groups if the load is stiff as opposed to limp basically. If you have to focus on balancing and shifting to different muscles it will just be more work to accomplish the same goal.
It’s kind of like carrying a wood box versus trying to transport a bunch of Jell-O or similar in your hands. I’m no physicist, but I think it’s easier to find a sort of center of gravity on something stiff that doesn’t constantly move and jiggle around with its center of mass changing more frequently, if that makes sense.
It’s not a weight issue but a distribution issue
People who stiffen lock their core/arms/legs; this makes their mass much more stable. The lifter can then adjust their body for the lift
The person who remains loose has weight moving all over the place while being lifted; holding onto them is tougher as grabbing them forces a change in weight distribution
You can try it yourself….stuff 40 pounds of rice in a pair of kid jeans that is just the right size then get a pair of pants that is slightly and put the same amount of rice. The more perfectly sized jeans will be much easier to lift despite being the same weight
Simply put, in order to lift and carry a rigid object you just need to engage your “lift” muscles (your leg muscles, back, and arm muscles). Whereas a “soft” or “noodle-like” object also requires effort to grip it, you’d need to grip it with your fingers or squeeze it against your body in order to keep a hold on it. So that’s extra effort.
Static center of gravity is easy to lift vs a very dynamic center of gravity that makes you keep switching muscles
When you lift someone you aren’t only using muscles to move them upward, you’re also using muscles to keep them from moving side to side.
Someone engaging their muscles to become rigid doesn’t move side to side as much, whereas someone flopping around forces you to “stabilize” them which requires concentrated effort and therefore requires strength + energy.
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